Frankie Dettori took Trawlerman on a circuitous route of the Knavesmire on the way to edging the winner's share of the £500,000 pot in the Sky Bet Ebor.
Drawn wide in stall 20, Dettori kept the son of Golden Horn straight out of the stalls, meaning he raced well away from the main pack in the early stages before cutting across to lead at the first turn.
Whether that was a decisive move or not, Trawlerman responded well after being headed and just held off Alfred Boucher by the narrowest of margins in a tight photo finish for the York prize.
Earl Of Tyrone travelled well in a prominent opposition for much of the contest but had to settle for third in the end with John Leeper best of the rest in fourth.
The sponsors paid out on the first eight each-way and Get Shirty was fifth, Ever Present sixth, Euchen Glen seventh and Shanroe eighth.
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Dettori said: “My colleagues gave me a little bit of rope. I managed to get him to relax and in the straight I thought I was beaten but the grey horse came and kind of helped me.
“I thought I was just running out of runway and I might not get there but on the line, in fairness, he dug deep, put his head down and I thought ‘Ah! Close!’.
“In the past I’ve been close with Lady Aurelia (in the Nunthorpe) so I kept my mouth shut and I waited for the judge!”
'Baldrick plan that can work'
John Gosden paid tribute to Dettori, whom he had a public falling-out with earlier in the season, which resulted in a week’s sabbatical for the rider.
“I think when we went and walked the course before the Arc with Golden Horn, we saw how wide his draw was and Frankie said, ‘I’m just going to stay out there’.
“We did it here with Muntahaa and Jim Crowley, who thought I was mad. I said it was a Baldrick plan that can work.”
He added: “You have to have a very good owner who would understand if it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t come off, it doesn’t come off. There is only one risk – if they go down the outside, they know where the stables are.”
Of the public falling-out with Dettori, which was quickly addressed, Gosden added: “I could not get his attention – I could not get him to concentrate, that’s all. In the end we gave him a bit of a public warning – that’s the way it is. He was left on the bench like he would be by a football manager.
“He has just ridden two fantastic races today and when our man is in the zone he is absolutely top-class. When he is not in the zone, he is a menace!”
Reaction from sponsors
Sky Bet Head Of Sports PR Michael Shinners said: "After a brilliant finish to the Sky Bet Ebor, Trawlerman just got his head in front in a pulsating race.
"The Frankie Dettori factor was certainly evident, as he was well backed throughout the day. We paid eight places, with the extremely popular Euchen Glen filling one of those. Overall, the result wasn't great but it was a wonderful race for our flagship sponsorship in the summer".
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